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UK inflation increases in July, driven by a surge in gas bills; oil prices rise again – business live
UK inflation rose to 2.9% in the year to July, up from 2.6% in June, driven largely by a jump in household gas prices after the energy regulator raised the price cap. The rise matches City economists’ forecasts but marks a reversal from previous months, and comes as the inflationary effects of rising global energy…
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Embark On An Epic Voyage With The Latest Switch Online Game Trial (Europe)
Nintendo Switch Online members in Europe can play No Man’s Sky for free between 20th and 26th August as part of the platform’s rotating game trials scheme, marking the exploration title’s tenth anniversary. Developer Hello Games has continued updating No Man’s Sky since its rocky 2016 launch, and the trial gives newcomers a chance to…
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Torrential storms and Spanish pension tax raid loom as forests fall and boardrooms burn
The UK government has confirmed that, for deaths on or after 6 April 2027, most unused pension funds and pension death benefits will be included in a deceased person’s estate for inheritance-tax purposes. The change, enacted through the Finance Act 2026, reverses the previous general treatment that allowed many pension pots to pass outside the…
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Kanye West Adds Russia to Comeback Tour
Kanye West is set to expand his ongoing comeback tour with two shows in Russia this October, but the announcement has already sparked political controversy in the country. The rapper will play St Petersburg’s Gazprom Arena on 10 and 11 October, though a Russian lawmaker has said the concerts could be cancelled unless West publicly…
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Sacked Ukrainian defence minister calls for presidential election
Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s former defence minister, has called for wartime elections in a YouTube video, in what is being seen as the most significant challenge to Volodymyr Zelensky’s presidency since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Elections have been suspended under martial law since the war started, but Fedorov, 35, argued that “democracy cannot…
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The critical tech staying safe by going underground
Engineering firms are reporting rising demand for burying critical infrastructure underground, driven partly by lessons from Russia’s war in Ukraine, which exposed how vulnerable above-ground facilities are to drone attacks. New technologies are making this cheaper and faster: California firm EarthGrid has tested a rock-melting tunnel-boring machine that uses plasma torches reaching 27,000C to bore…
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Home Office ‘scared of scrutiny’ as it rushes through plan to build one of Europe’s biggest immigration detention centres on seafront site
The Home Office has been accused of rushing through plans to build one of Europe’s largest immigration detention centres on a seafront site, with critics suggesting the pace is designed to limit public and parliamentary scrutiny of the project. The proposal is likely to prove controversial given its scale and location, adding to wider debate…
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Ukrainian drones overwhelm Russian tanks’ new active protection system—for now
Russian tanks equipped with the new Arena-M active protection system, designed to shoot down incoming drones, have seen their first combat use in Ukraine — but the system’s debut showed only limited success, as Ukrainian drones still destroyed the armoured vehicles by attacking in overwhelming numbers. The episode highlights the ongoing arms race between drone…
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Andy Burnham says Britain ‘supports Ukraine 100%’ after Putin warned ‘there will be a price to pay’ for supplying Kyiv with drones
Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, has said that Britain backs Ukraine “100%” in its conflict with Russia, responding after Vladimir Putin issued a warning that there would be “a price to pay” for the UK supplying Kyiv with drones. The remarks reflect the ongoing tension between Western support for Ukraine’s war effort and…